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Hope everyone’s season change has been a good one so far. Personally, I’m looking forward to Saturday, October 6th and the InD’Scribe Con and Book Festival book signing. This is my last book signing for the foreseeable future so I’ll have all my print books available.

But that’s not all! Those who purchase my latest release, Under the Radar, will also get a very cool perk by way of this awesome flash drive – thanks to USB Memory Direct!

Those cute little cards around book are actually flash drives and they’re almost as thin as business cards. The drive flips out from the card. They are the coolest, handiest little things! Love them! That’s not all… They also hold a deleted scene from Under the Radar.

(FYI – I still have a few flash drives left over from Out of the Blue so you have a couple of chances to score swag with the purchase of either book!)

Hope to see some of you at the conference books signing! There’ll be lots of amazing authors signing their books so carve out some time on October 6th! The info is below, but I have a quick question for you: We all love free stuff, but… What’s been your most favorite type of swag or freebie from any event you’ve been to?

If you’re interested in winning the first book in the series, Against the Wall, then head over to Just Romantic Suspense today (May 30) and/or tomorrow!

Okay, you know how life can really throw you curve balls? I got a big one yesterday when Roseanne was cancelled. Many of you know that I worked on the original thirty years ago as a dialogue coach and also worked on the reboot last year. I had already received the phone call that I was coming back for the new season and then bam. We got cancelled. By now, everyone knows why. There’s not much to rehash that hasn’t already been said.

I will say this though… Words matter. Words have consequences. Words can comfort, they can uplift, they can tear down. They can make you smile and make you cry. They make you feel. What you put out into the world is generally what you will get back. Sometimes it’s beautiful and sometimes it’s the exact opposite.

My question is this: What kind of person do you want to be? Do you want to be the one uplifting or tearing down? Do you want to be a divider or the glue that brings people together?

Don’t get me wrong… I’ve been angry plenty of times and I’ve lashed out, given people exactly what they’ve dished out. The cycle just continues. But just like hate begets hate, love begets love. I’m not saying you shouldn’t stand for what you believe or fight for what you believe. I’m saying there’s a way to do it that doesn’t destroy.

Look, I could write for days about the world and what makes it go ’round. Ultimately, my point is…why not be the person that makes people smile instead of cry? Be the person that people look up to instead of sneer at. Be the person that makes you proud when you go to sleep at night. Be the glue, not the divider.

I say go with love. And to start you off, you can read the whole High Stakes series and watch one family find all their happily ever afters. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the blurb for Under the Radar (and a newsletter sign up below that):

Two brothers. Two best friends. One robbery gone wrong.

With a court date looming, a near-fatal car accident, and a house invasion, the four surviving witnesses to an armed robbery know they are targets. In a desperate attempt to stay safe, they take matters into their own hands and go off the grid a week before the trial.

Danny St. John was stuck in a dark place of guilt and regret after a personal tragedy. On the run from violent criminals, he is forced to spend time with the one woman who makes him feel too much. Victoria Lopez needs to protect her heart, but she also misses the guy Danny used to be and thinks she might be able to bring him back. Now, evading gunmen together in Sequoia National Forest, Vic will risk everything to keep Danny safe.

Eric St. John isn’t a big fan of his sister-in-law-to-be, Zoe Turner. Sure, she’s beautiful, but also bossy and brash. When Eric and Zoe are forced to rely on each other for survival, he sees a side to Zoe he never anticipated, a side he definitely likes. But as the two grow closer, so do the men hunting them down.

Time nearly runs out as each couple must not only brave the perils of the wilderness and their growing feelings for each other, but also outwit their pursuers in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, click here for the link. (The sidebar sign up isn’t working.)

Is anyone planning on attending the California Dreamin’ Conference in So Cal this March? Because if you attend the California Readin’ event and sit at my table at the conference or buy one of my books at the signing afterward, you’ll be getting one of these babies!

Custom USB Drives made these flash drives with my cover from Out of the Blue. (Here’s the front and back.) So awesome! And that’s not all. On the flash drive is a sizzling deleted scene from the book. This company has some great ideas for multi-purpose flash drives. There are so many fun ones to choose from. I highly recommend them if you need flash drives. Just click below.

Today has special meaning, besides it being the release of my tenth book. My mom would’ve been 85 years old today and I think she’d be pretty happy that this milestone is happening on her birthday. I’ll be honest, I felt a bit obligated to honor my mom since I honored my dad on his birthday with the release of Imminent Danger (five months after he died) in 2014.

Writing wasn’t anywhere on my radar when my mom was alive and I always wonder what she’d think of one of my books. I know my dad read my very first book (still not published) and asked, “Where’d you learn this stuff?” I still smile thinking about the twinkle in his eyes when he hit me with that question. I don’t think he read beyond that first book, but he always supported me. Every so often I’d get a small note in the mail attached to something pertaining to writing. One time he sent a full page magazine ad for Harlequin. He’d clipped out the page (a couple in the kitchen about to get down to business on the granite island while the batter waits in a bowl and her hands are full of flour.) It was a very sexy picture of two clothed adults, but the intention is clear as he takes her down, their lips almost touching, but not quite. I still shiver when I think of it. (In a good way.) Dad’s note said, “I saw this and thought of you.” A definite ‘AW’ moment for me. Though my dad was still alive when my first published book came out, I don’t think he read it. Alzheimer’s had pretty much robbed him of his memory and he stuck to reading short articles because he couldn’t remember a story in pieces.

Back to my mom… She always had a book on her night stand table. She loved to read at the end of the day and I guess I got that gene from her. I remember the first time I took one of her books after she’d finished (but before she gave it to a friend). I was probably 15 or 16 years old. The book might have been a Judith McNaught, I’m not sure. I just remember Mom walking by, seeing what I was reading and saying, “Do you like that?” I think it probably had a sex scene or two and I eagerly shook my head. LOL. I loved her for not taking the book out of my hands.

Thanks Mom for letting me read and fostering a love of books that I’ve had since.

Sometimes I wonder if God-or whatever spiritual power rules-is able to get books for those who’ve gone onto another plane. I know. Kind of a dumb thought, but with the release of this book, I’m feeling especially sentimental.

Recently dumped by her fiancé, Casey Turner is going for her dream career. Rebound sex with a hot stranger was eye opening, but she wants to leave her mark on the world. She’s sure that winning the new reality show Write Your Ticket will prove that she’s got what it takes to make it in the music industry. She never expects to be the target of a killer who’ll stop at nothing to see her die, even if it’s on national television.

Brendan St. John didn’t think he’d ever see the girl who disappeared after a sizzling one-night stand, but he won’t let her distract him from winning the reality show that could change his life. Of course, it’d be easier to ignore her if he didn’t have to keep saving her from disasters. But too many accidents on the set can’t be coincidence, and when Brendan interferes, Casey isn’t the only one in danger.

Despite being pitted against each other, Casey and Brendan grow closer, and the attraction that brought them together burns hotter with every look. Ultimately, only one of them can win the show, but that doesn’t stop either from being the target of someone with a mighty grudge.

If I still have your attention, and you want to get an instant taste of Out of the Blue, you can read a scene that I regretfully cut from the book. Click HERE.

AND… in case you weren’t aware of it, Brendan’s twin brother (Blake) already has his own story in Imminent Danger, one of my Adrenaline Highs books. (Blake was my first cross-over character.)

Since it’s that time of year as well… Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hope your holiday is filled with light and love.

I’m so excited to finally show off the cover for Out of the Blue! This is book #2 in the High Stakes series. I’ll be honest… it was a long time coming, but I’m so glad it’s almost here!

Recently dumped by her fiancé, Casey Turner is going for her dream career. Rebound sex with a hot stranger was eye opening, but she wants to leave her mark on the world. She’s sure that winning the new reality show Write Your Ticket will prove that she’s got what it takes to make it in the music industry. She never expects to be the target of a killer who’ll stop at nothing to see her die, even if it’s on national television.

Brendan St. John didn’t think he’d ever see the girl who disappeared after a sizzling one-night stand, but he won’t let her distract him from winning the reality show that could change his life. Of course, it’d be easier to ignore her if he didn’t have to keep saving her from disasters. But too many accidents on the set can’t be coincidence, and when Brendan interferes, Casey isn’t the only one in danger.

Despite being pitted against each other, Casey and Brendan grow closer, and the attraction that brought them together burns hotter with every look. Ultimately, only one of them can win the show, but that doesn’t stop either from being the target of someone with a mighty grudge.

###

Look for Out of the Blue on November 21, 2016! (Happens to be my mom’s b-day. I figure she’s looking down and knows this book is for her.)

I’d love to know what you think of the cover. I’ll be honest. I love this baby!

It’s been way too long since my last blog, and if I have to be honest, I’ll say this year has pretty much kicked my ass, but I have something really awesome to blog about, so it deserved a big shout!

I’m excited to be part of a huge Mystery, Thriller, Suspense Giveaway. Not only are there almost 50 FREE books, but there’s a chance to win a Kindle PaperWhite or an Amazon Gift Card! This is not only massive, it’s massively awesome!! My contribution is one of my favorite books… A Little Danger. (Click on the title for a blurb and more info.)

Look for it! Grab your books! Sign up to win those prizes! Don’t let me keep you a second longer!

I have to come clean. Near the end of 2015 and early this year, I hit a wall. It was the “I can’t handle two full time jobs and take care of the house/family” wall. Something had to give. I realized I had to find some “me time” in my crazy life. I just lost the desire to work so hard and decided that “me time” or “family time” was what I needed to rejuvenate myself.

Turns out I was right. Here’s a pic of the people I love most. (Not that I don’t love the rest of my immediate family, but these are the ones I live with. <G>)

Having my daughter home from college and spending the winter break with her and my hubby was the best medicine I could ask for. I set aside my current WIP and let myself enjoy family time. I figured as a writer, it was about time I got back to living life a little because really… how am I going to write it if I don’t enjoy it myself.

I’m looking forward to next week when I finish the day job on set for a few months and get back to being a full time author. I’m ready to get those pages written and edited. I have my motivation back and it’s in part due to my family.

This month’s Hollywood inside scoop is about cake. Birthday cake to be specific. And who doesn’t like birthday cake? No one on our set, I can tell you that! As you’ll see from the pictures below, we have a theme at work when it comes to celebrating birthdays. It involves a rolling table, candles, balloons, lots of posing for pictures and delicious cake. The first birthday celebration took place in October, but because we were on our hiatus, we celebrated Kira’s day when we got back to the set. Eighteen is not a milestone to be taken lightly! Here’s our cast in the living room set.

The next flurry of birthdays all happened in December and Diego started off the celebration early in the month. Here’s the gang again, this time in wardrobe in front of a live audience.

The following week, we pulled out another cake for Jack’s 19th birthday.

And a week after that we celebrated Rosa’s birthday along with one of our Nick executives, Brian.

Here’s Addison’s birthday celebration in January. The picture I didn’t get was of lots of Nickelodeon kids who came to set to celebrate. This pic was also taken in front of a live audience and the crowd loves to be on the fun stuff. Let me tell you… It was loud! Haha. But we have amazing fans and it’s great to hear how much they appreciate the show.

I’m feeling a little guilty because I’ve missed one cast member, but Chris had his B-day in September (as did I!) and we were on hiatus then too. Imagine a cake on a table with candles and balloons and the cast posing for pictures. Haha.

I think most sets I’ve been on have celebrated cast birthdays the same way. It’s a nice way to bring everyone together and it bonds us like the family we are. We are a very lucky group of people and I think we all realize it. There’s nothing quite like a Hollywood birthday.

How about you? Any special birthday celebrations that you’ve had over the years? Maybe a surprise or two?

I’ll be honest. It’s been one of those days, weeks, months. Honestly, I never had anything against 2016 and I still don’t, but I have to admit it’s been a pretty rough start to the year. I still count my blessings and I still look for the positive, but right at the moment, happiness is an ice cold beer.

I’m missing my daughter who went back to college after her winter break and I’m mourning the loss of so many incredible musicians and entertainers who have died in the last couple of weeks. I swear it was like some kind of crazy magical hell storm happened and started taking all the best people. So tonight I’m indulging in something I haven’t had all month because of a stomach bug. (Yes, that started in the new year too!)

I also started a new workout challenge last night so I figured I’d toast my re-entry back into the world of “healthy-writer” with my favorite lite beer. Really… sometimes there’s just nothing better that hits the spot like a cold beer. And maybe chocolate. (Yeah, I confess, I had that earlier too. I’m telling you… it’s been one of those days.)